When an emergency situation occurs at a highly populated facility, such as a school, rapid and clear communication is often the difference between experiencing minimum and massive casualties. Scores of examples exist where casualties were directly attributed to a communication failure.
Among the possible emergency situations that might arise, a mass shooting probably the most ominous. Mass shootings at schools and other institutions has become a frightening reality that has occurred with increasing frequency over the past several years. In response, schools have sought to take every available precaution and safety measure in preparation for the unthinkable.
It is especially the case in school shootings that having effective procedures in place, coupled with immediate notification to initiate those procedures, is the most effective way to save lives. Clearly then, the completeness of any notification solution is a function of both the ease with which the emergency notification system can be triggered when an emergency occurs, and the comprehensiveness of the measures taken in response.
Most currently available or proposed solutions fall short in the ease of triggering the system when necessary. This problem sometimes stems from the difficulty of activation—such as by requiring cumbersome authentication or some other requirement that is difficult to carry out in the course of an emergency. It may also stem from ‘lack of coverage’—where the physical locations from which the system can be activated are not always convenient to all areas where an emergency situation may be spotted. As a result, when the system is inconvenient to activate, it greatly increases the possibility that lock down, shelter in place, or other emergency procedures, will not be initiated when necessary.
Many systems also fall short in the comprehensiveness of measures taken in response to its activation. In particular, notification of the emergency situation might not reach all key personnel—placing them and others at risk. This is often the case when a facility, such as a school, extends beyond a single building, or has significant outdoor facilities. It is often not feasible to provide a wired solution that effectively covers such a facility. The result is that many people at risk might not be notified of the emergency.
Perhaps even more important, many systems fall short because they are prone to human error or require personnel to take significant action during what is obviously a very stressful situation. Thus, it is unrealistic to place the onus on personnel to call emergency services, inform them about the situation, and simultaneously make a public address that calmly and clearly informs others of the situation, and activate any emergency alarm system—all while serious and potentially life threatening events are unfolding.
It is well known that in such situations, time is everything. Often the situation will have fully played out well before law enforcement arrives on the scene. The speed on activation is critical, and this is where most solutions fail to provide an effective solution.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.